Technical Imaging

Dr. Rubén G. Mendoza

Description: This lab exercise provides a brief introduction to the field of scientific or technical illustration, and is intended to follow through on those basic principles drawn from your introduction to Technical Writing in an earlier exercise. Some of those principles specific to technical writing might be rephrased so as to address illustration concerns and content. Two specific illustrations will be undertaken this day. The first centers on the illustration of an artifact, preferably the same artifact that you used as the basis for your Technical Description, and the second requires that you carefully map the room and furnishings of the lab within which we will conduct this exercise. You should subsequently enter your impressions and a description of methods for the exercise into the iLearn Forum.

Principles of Scientific Illustration:

(a) Select tools, techniques, and supplies, and determine appropriate lighting, drafting platforms, and measurement ratios, (b) determine a specific viewer and or audience target, (c) determine the specific purpose of the illustration or map, (d) determine the specific situation or context for the illustration, (e) organize and render effectively, (f) be as precise as possible as per the above principles, (g) use simple, straightforward, and familiar icons, renderings and legend or title and caption terminology, and (h) present a clean, clear, crisp, and appealing final product. Principles adapted after John F. Birk (1981), and Donald B. Sayner (1972).

1. Select an artifact or artifacts from among those specimens provided by your instructor and using a pencil, attempt to render said artifact according to the process noted above.

2. Select an example of the type of illustration that you will produce from the examples provided from the Dillon (1985) text.

3. Select those drafting and illustration tools and supplies necessary to complete your illustration as per the type of illustration that you intend to complete (note: see your instructor for the tools and supplies in question).

4. Having completed the preliminary and finished pencil drawings, use a fine-tipped ink pen to outline in ink the preliminary drawings noted.

5. Having completed your drawing, you should then prepare to combine the Technical Description or definition from the earlier exercise with the drawing in the form of a legend or caption.